Maccabi Tel Aviv is currently hosting Nes Ziona for the final game of the 14th round of the Winner Basket League. Avi Even’s players, who lost to Hapoel Beer Sheva 74:71 surprisingly in the previous game, want to return to the winning track and get closer to first place. The Oranges on the other hand are looking for a victory in a difficult away game in order to screw up in the top eight.
The Tel Avivians are unable to produce stability this season in the local sector, as they are placed in third place in the Winner League table, with a positive balance of 11 wins against seven losses. Hapoel Holon and Hapoel Jerusalem are ahead of it at the top, and in order to reduce the gaps between them, a victory at the Menora Hall in front of the home crowd is defined as critical. Roman Sorkin and John Dibertolomao are sick and absent from the roster.
Ness Ziona on the other hand is in seventh place in the league table, with nine wins compared to nine losses. Beyond the fact that Lior Lubin’s players want to register a positive balance in the league, a victory in a difficult away game against Maccabi could put them in the top eight, and give them a significant boost towards the remaining rounds in the league.
First quarter: 25:33 to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv quintet: Scotty Wilbkin, Keenan Evans, Oz Blazer, James Nanley and Ante Zizic.
Ness Ziona Urban Quintet: Dianta Garrett, Golan Gut, Tim Suarez, Lior Carrera and Frank Bartley.
Only after a minute from the start of the game, the first points came from Suarez’s hands, Nanelli stitched a beautiful three from the other side and gave Maccabi a point advantage. Suarez continued his good start and tied at 4-4. Žižić scored his third point tonight from the line and it is Shosh two for Maccabi. Bartley stitched a beautiful three and raised Ness Ziona to a point advantage, Wilbkin scored from under the basket and returned the advantage to the host.
The fiery Suarez completed a three-point move and it’s three for Nes Ziona. Evans scored a beautiful three and gave Maccabi a one-point advantage, Garrett’s three returned Ness Ziona to a two-point lead, but Naneli completed five consecutive points and put Maccabi three-point lead. Bartley stitched a huge three and equalized for 21:21. Again Nanley scored a great three and raised Maccabi to three. Scotty Wilbkin stitched a huge three as only he knows and opened a gap of eight points.
Second quarter: 46:51 to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Williams scored the first two points in the quarter and Maccabi went up to a double-digit advantage of 10 points. Garrett, who stands out in the ranks of Ness Ziona, shrank to 10. Suarez stitched a smooth three when he found himself completely free off the arc and shrank to just seven. Garrett went easily in the face of Maccabi’s lack of defense and shrank to only five, Ziv returned on the other hand to seven.
Wilbkin scored a wonderful three from the corner and it was again 10 points for the Blues. Ante Žižić finished an explosive attack by the Blues on a mighty dunk and opened a gap of 11 points. Suarez dropped to nine with two points from the line, Cohen with one of his own from the line returned to 10. Garrett completed four straight points and that’s just six points for the hosts. A wonderful three by Suarez only dropped to five at the break.
Third quarter:
Wilbkin opened the quarter with two points from Nanley’s assist and it’s seven for the hosts. Shito shot two of his own from the other side, completed three with a shot from the line and it is only four for Maccabi. Zizic once again caught a huge dunk as only he knows and it’s six for Maccabi. Ness Ziona continued to go head to head and lose offensive balls, Wilbkin and Nanali won it and put Maccabi up by 13 points. Carrera continued the tremendous three-point range tonight and shrank to just nine
. Wilbkin, on the other hand, made a great three-pointer and raised Maccabi to 12 points. Garrett completed Ness Ziona’s 0: 8 run and shrank to just eight, with a laser on the other side in front of the guest’s soft defense and returned to 10. Gutt stitched a huge three and shrank to eight, but Willimas continued the cat and mouse between the teams and again raised Maccabi to a double-digit advantage of 10.